Department of Art History, University of Birmingham
Abstract
This article explores the role of John Hewitt (1907 – 87) in attempting to articulate a distinctive artistic and cultural identity for Ulster from the middle of the twentieth century. Focusing on Hewitt’s interpretation of the visual arts, this essay examines the ways in which he acted as a curator and advocate for particular artists who he felt embodied his sense of a regional style of art for Ulster. Hewitt’s work is contextualised by a broader discussion of ideas of national and regional identity following the Second World War, and also by the increasingly visible avant-garde centres of artistic development in places such as London and New York
